BEYOND BIOMEDICINE: CULTURAL CONSTRUCTIONS OF MEMORY LOSS IN RURAL SOUTH AFRICA

Memory loss among elderly populations represents a growing public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa yet remains poorly understood within local cultural contexts. This study explores community perceptions of memory loss in the Eastern Cape’s rural KwaNyathi community through the lens of Max Weber's social action theory. Using a quantitative approach with 90 respondents, the research reveals a complex interplay between biomedical and traditional belief systems in understanding cognitive decline. Findings indicate that while 93.3% of respondents acknowledge a relationship between memory loss and aging, significant proportions attribute behavioral changes in elderly people to witchcraft (8.9%) and cruelty. The study uncovers substantial knowledge gaps regarding memory dysfunction, with diabetes most identified (22.7%) as a memory-related illness, while only 14.3% correctly identified amnesia. These perceptions lead to stigmatization, social exclusion, and inadequate caregiving for memory loss patients. The research demonstrates how socialization processes, shaped by cultural beliefs and limited formal education (52.2% below Grade 12), perpetuate misconceptions that conflate normal aging with supernatural causation. This study contributes to sociology of health by illuminating how cultural constructions of illness affect vulnerable populations and argues for culturally sensitive interventions that bridge traditional and biomedical knowledge systems in resource-limited settings.